Modi (Moderate): You fixed up your house, Mani.
Mani (Mainstream): Barma did most of it. Here's Radi now.
Radi (Radical): Modi, that new imam I was telling you about, he gave the sermon today and was ranting about how horrible the Crusades were.
Modi: The Crusades? What do some of these new imams know about Crusades?
Mani: But are they not a very somber part of our history?
Modi: A part of our history, yes. But the Crusades were hardly a somber part. Very few of our people knew about the Crusades, even when they were in progress. For example, in Iraq here, some people may have heard something about the Franks raiding around Palestine or part of Syria, but everywhere else was quiet.
Radi: I don't understand. I thought the Crusader wars were terrible catastrophes and many people were slaughtered.
Modi: Hardly, Radi. They actually helped more than they caused harm. Just as soon as they entered the Middle East, the first leaders they came across wanted an alliance of some kind. Our people were still fighting among themselves and calling upon the Franks to help defend against one tribe or another.
Mani: I remember one imam telling us that there was much more trade than fighting going on. In fact the only reason that Saladin attacked the Franks — and it was not much of a battle — is that they sacked a trade caravan and would not return the goods.
Modi: You are right, Mani, and afterwards they were all friends again. The Franks did nothing to upset the national, cultural, or political situation throughout the Middle East. If anything, they allowed for opening up markets with other European countries. Don't ever let anyone tell you that the Crusades were a catastrophe.
Radi: But one after another imam was ranting about wars and how Saladin saved Islam by defeating the huge Western armies.
Modi: Well, I hate to cut the string on someone’s kite, but at no time did any of the Crusaders seriously threaten the region or Islam. Islam was never affected at all. As I said, people who came across the Crusaders were more interested in trade. Radi, the Shi‘ites and the Sunnis hated each other more than they disliked the Franks.
Mani: Maybe that other imam last year was right. He said that in some cases, because of the Muslim predilection for alliances, it was not unusual for one tribal chief to align himself with the Franks while another with the British, and still others with whoever else was around.
Modi: You bet. Look, the Fatimids1 exploited the situation to win back Palestine and Lebanon, which they lost to the Seljuks.
Mani: But what about our great Arab hero, Saladin?
Modi: I have no complaints about Saladin, Mani, but I hate to tell you that he was a Kurd. Not only that, but while his mentor was fighting it out in Transjordan with a Western army, Saladin was consolidating his position with other tribes and cities in the area, sometimes with the compliance or the actual help of the Franks.
Radi: That does not sound like the Saladin that I know.
Mani: Isn’t truth the first casualty of war?
Radi: No, the first casualty always winds up being Jewish.
Modi: Look, you guys, Mani is right. Look at the way the imams and leaders from other Muslim countries were characterizing the Iraq War. I remember one peaceful day when Hayat and I were shopping in downtown Baghdad. We went home and turned on the BBC and were absolutely shocked at the videos and the frantic reporting of what was supposed to be going on in downtown Baghdad – where we were.
Mani: (Laughing) I remember some of that. We used to call it the BBC Daily War Movies.
Radi: I am shocked at what you say about Saladin.
Modi: To make you feel better, when the Franks took another trade caravan and again refused to make restitution, Saladin decided the time had come to declare jihad.
Mani: The whole attack of Crusaders wasn’t a holy war?
Modi: Certainly not. It was not considered an attack, and neither the politics of the Middle East, nor Islam was ever in jeopardy, as I said. Saladin called on his brother’s army and a few other alliances, and together they won a great battle. Afterwards, however, the alliances fell apart, and Saladin turned his attention to Muslim tribes that were giving him trouble.
Radi: I can’t believe these imams are such dolts.
Modi: Not all of them, Modi. There are some with agendas that create spin, cover-ups, and downright lies.
Mani: Like that imam in London that time?
Modi: Oh, I forgot about him. He was speaking to some young liberals who were seriously considering converting.
Mani: Yes. And he was telling a Hadith of two camel drivers who committed a few crimes and Muhammad tortured them by putting their eyes out, cutting off a hand and foot of each one, and then, because they left the religion, ordered that they be left in the open to bleed to death.
Radi: Whoa! That is even a little much for me.
Modi: Well, the imam changed the ending so that the young people would not know the penalty for leaving the religion.
Mani: I cannot understand why the scholars do not find a way to undo the penalty for apostasy. I think it is long past time. In addition, who in his right mind would join our religion if they knew they could not leave under penalty of death.
Modi: There are a few changes that should be made, no matter what the imams say. The scholars know that there are some little problems with the basic documents as they have been taught to us. The people know this but must always lie to others because it is dangerous to really tell what they believe.
Radi: You mean. . . .
Mani: Don’t you dare say it, Radi. It is not worth it.
Modi: The scholars are not stupid, and the non-Muslim scholars actually say what our scholars won’t.
Radi: I still do not understand why people get so scared of us.
Mani, Modi: IT’S THE VIOLENCE, STUPID!
HJS
1Followers of the family of Muhammad’s daughter, Fatima.
Adapted from Efraim Karsh: Islamic imperialism, 2007, Yale University Press, chapter 4, pp. 76-85.
PLEASE NOTE: This series will end with Three Faces East #101. It has been a pleasure bringing to you.
hjs
Mani (Mainstream): Barma did most of it. Here's Radi now.
Radi (Radical): Modi, that new imam I was telling you about, he gave the sermon today and was ranting about how horrible the Crusades were.
Modi: The Crusades? What do some of these new imams know about Crusades?
Mani: But are they not a very somber part of our history?
Modi: A part of our history, yes. But the Crusades were hardly a somber part. Very few of our people knew about the Crusades, even when they were in progress. For example, in Iraq here, some people may have heard something about the Franks raiding around Palestine or part of Syria, but everywhere else was quiet.
Radi: I don't understand. I thought the Crusader wars were terrible catastrophes and many people were slaughtered.
Modi: Hardly, Radi. They actually helped more than they caused harm. Just as soon as they entered the Middle East, the first leaders they came across wanted an alliance of some kind. Our people were still fighting among themselves and calling upon the Franks to help defend against one tribe or another.
Mani: I remember one imam telling us that there was much more trade than fighting going on. In fact the only reason that Saladin attacked the Franks — and it was not much of a battle — is that they sacked a trade caravan and would not return the goods.
Modi: You are right, Mani, and afterwards they were all friends again. The Franks did nothing to upset the national, cultural, or political situation throughout the Middle East. If anything, they allowed for opening up markets with other European countries. Don't ever let anyone tell you that the Crusades were a catastrophe.
Radi: But one after another imam was ranting about wars and how Saladin saved Islam by defeating the huge Western armies.
Modi: Well, I hate to cut the string on someone’s kite, but at no time did any of the Crusaders seriously threaten the region or Islam. Islam was never affected at all. As I said, people who came across the Crusaders were more interested in trade. Radi, the Shi‘ites and the Sunnis hated each other more than they disliked the Franks.
Mani: Maybe that other imam last year was right. He said that in some cases, because of the Muslim predilection for alliances, it was not unusual for one tribal chief to align himself with the Franks while another with the British, and still others with whoever else was around.
Modi: You bet. Look, the Fatimids1 exploited the situation to win back Palestine and Lebanon, which they lost to the Seljuks.
Mani: But what about our great Arab hero, Saladin?
Modi: I have no complaints about Saladin, Mani, but I hate to tell you that he was a Kurd. Not only that, but while his mentor was fighting it out in Transjordan with a Western army, Saladin was consolidating his position with other tribes and cities in the area, sometimes with the compliance or the actual help of the Franks.
Radi: That does not sound like the Saladin that I know.
Mani: Isn’t truth the first casualty of war?
Radi: No, the first casualty always winds up being Jewish.
Modi: Look, you guys, Mani is right. Look at the way the imams and leaders from other Muslim countries were characterizing the Iraq War. I remember one peaceful day when Hayat and I were shopping in downtown Baghdad. We went home and turned on the BBC and were absolutely shocked at the videos and the frantic reporting of what was supposed to be going on in downtown Baghdad – where we were.
Mani: (Laughing) I remember some of that. We used to call it the BBC Daily War Movies.
Radi: I am shocked at what you say about Saladin.
Modi: To make you feel better, when the Franks took another trade caravan and again refused to make restitution, Saladin decided the time had come to declare jihad.
Mani: The whole attack of Crusaders wasn’t a holy war?
Modi: Certainly not. It was not considered an attack, and neither the politics of the Middle East, nor Islam was ever in jeopardy, as I said. Saladin called on his brother’s army and a few other alliances, and together they won a great battle. Afterwards, however, the alliances fell apart, and Saladin turned his attention to Muslim tribes that were giving him trouble.
Radi: I can’t believe these imams are such dolts.
Modi: Not all of them, Modi. There are some with agendas that create spin, cover-ups, and downright lies.
Mani: Like that imam in London that time?
Modi: Oh, I forgot about him. He was speaking to some young liberals who were seriously considering converting.
Mani: Yes. And he was telling a Hadith of two camel drivers who committed a few crimes and Muhammad tortured them by putting their eyes out, cutting off a hand and foot of each one, and then, because they left the religion, ordered that they be left in the open to bleed to death.
Radi: Whoa! That is even a little much for me.
Modi: Well, the imam changed the ending so that the young people would not know the penalty for leaving the religion.
Mani: I cannot understand why the scholars do not find a way to undo the penalty for apostasy. I think it is long past time. In addition, who in his right mind would join our religion if they knew they could not leave under penalty of death.
Modi: There are a few changes that should be made, no matter what the imams say. The scholars know that there are some little problems with the basic documents as they have been taught to us. The people know this but must always lie to others because it is dangerous to really tell what they believe.
Radi: You mean. . . .
Mani: Don’t you dare say it, Radi. It is not worth it.
Modi: The scholars are not stupid, and the non-Muslim scholars actually say what our scholars won’t.
Radi: I still do not understand why people get so scared of us.
Mani, Modi: IT’S THE VIOLENCE, STUPID!
HJS
1Followers of the family of Muhammad’s daughter, Fatima.
Adapted from Efraim Karsh: Islamic imperialism, 2007, Yale University Press, chapter 4, pp. 76-85.
PLEASE NOTE: This series will end with Three Faces East #101. It has been a pleasure bringing to you.
hjs
No comments:
Post a Comment